Earth Walker
May 13th, 2001, 09:06 PM
PEARL HARBOUR: From the guys who brought you CON-AIR,
THE ROCK and ARMAGEDDON comes an historical epic with
sweep and soul. Yeah, I know, I have my doubts, too, but I
still can't resist the big pitch. Battleship sinkings to beat
TITANIC and a hot young cast (Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett,
Kate Beckinsale). As long as there's no Aerosmith power
ballad goosing the love scenes. (May)
SHREK: Ground-breaking computer animation wedded to a
topsy-turvy story about exiled fairy-tale characters. Mike
Meyers voices the ugly hero who talks like Fat Bastard.
Eddie Murphy is a donkey and Cameron Diaz is the clumsy
princess. (May)
ANGEL EYES: Jennifer Lopez as a cop who has a near-death
experience with Jim Caviezel. Like THE SIXTH SENSE, only
with cleavage. (May)
TOMB RAIDER: Angelica Jolie gives life to the pneumatic
computer-game heroine, a melding of Indiana Jones and
Pussy Galore who busts heads, swings from ropes, packs
a pistol and engages in archaeology. Has everyone forgotten
THE MUMMY RETURNS already? Good (June)
A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Steven Spielberg goes all
E.T.-misty in a story about a soulful robot (Haley Joel Osment)
who wants to be a real boy. Bring out the hankies, 'cause
nobody cranks it like Steve. (June)
MOULIN ROUGE: There was spontaneous applause for this
movie at Cannes screenings but they are French, after all.
Nicole Kidman as a showgirl-courtesan and Ewan McGregor
as a poor writer in Paris' night club scene, circa 1900, set to
re-done tunes by Elton John, Sting and others.
Possible sleeper hit. (June)
SEXY BEAST: Bit of dark horse action here from actors Ben
Kingsley and Ray Winstone. The one-time GANDHI Oscar-
winner plays a foul-mouthed, viscious gangster in a movie
that's been drawing strong buzz since festival screenings
last fall. What it's doing on the summer schedule is anyone's
guess. (June)
THE FAST AND FURIOUS: Hot cars, tough guys, and big, big
stunts -- grafted to a story about rival street racers.
Rev engines, keep brain in neutral. (June)
PLANET OF THE APES: It's directed by Tim Burton (BATMAN,
BETTLEJUICE), whose weird personal visions have this
strange-knack for becoming blockbusters. It's the sequel to
the long-running movie series of the 1960's and '70's.
The apes -- huge, hairy armies led by Tim Roth, Helena Bonham
Carter and Michael Clarke Duncan -- are more realistic this time out. Mark Wahlberg is the off-course astronaut and camp value
comes with original star Charlton Heston back briefly as an
old ape. (July)
CATS AND DOGS: Kung-fu cats take on techno-dweeb dogs in a
battle for global supremacy that happens right under the noses
of the humans who think they're running things.
I'm laughing already! (July)
AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS: Catherine Zeta-Jones is a prickly
movie star with a train-wreck personal life, kind of like Julia
Roberts. And what's this? Roberts herself plays the star's
mousy assistant, with a thing for the star's husband. Gee, I
wonder how that story will turn out? Hubby is played by
John Cusack. (July)
AMERICAN OUTLAWS: This retelling of the Jesse James legend
will draw western fans who want to see how hot young Irish
actor Colin Farrell (Tigerland) fills their hero's boots and the
confused multiplexers who mistakenly think they bought tickets
for America's Sweethearts or American Pie 2.
AMERICAN PIE 2: The original movie's friends rent a beach
house. Watch on the chance that Eugene Levy will deliver
another eyebrow-wiggling lecture on sex. (August)
OSMOSIS JONES: Bill Murray gets sick and Chris Rock voices
an animated antibody that fights back.
Could be one long booger joke. (August)
THE ROCK and ARMAGEDDON comes an historical epic with
sweep and soul. Yeah, I know, I have my doubts, too, but I
still can't resist the big pitch. Battleship sinkings to beat
TITANIC and a hot young cast (Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett,
Kate Beckinsale). As long as there's no Aerosmith power
ballad goosing the love scenes. (May)
SHREK: Ground-breaking computer animation wedded to a
topsy-turvy story about exiled fairy-tale characters. Mike
Meyers voices the ugly hero who talks like Fat Bastard.
Eddie Murphy is a donkey and Cameron Diaz is the clumsy
princess. (May)
ANGEL EYES: Jennifer Lopez as a cop who has a near-death
experience with Jim Caviezel. Like THE SIXTH SENSE, only
with cleavage. (May)
TOMB RAIDER: Angelica Jolie gives life to the pneumatic
computer-game heroine, a melding of Indiana Jones and
Pussy Galore who busts heads, swings from ropes, packs
a pistol and engages in archaeology. Has everyone forgotten
THE MUMMY RETURNS already? Good (June)
A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Steven Spielberg goes all
E.T.-misty in a story about a soulful robot (Haley Joel Osment)
who wants to be a real boy. Bring out the hankies, 'cause
nobody cranks it like Steve. (June)
MOULIN ROUGE: There was spontaneous applause for this
movie at Cannes screenings but they are French, after all.
Nicole Kidman as a showgirl-courtesan and Ewan McGregor
as a poor writer in Paris' night club scene, circa 1900, set to
re-done tunes by Elton John, Sting and others.
Possible sleeper hit. (June)
SEXY BEAST: Bit of dark horse action here from actors Ben
Kingsley and Ray Winstone. The one-time GANDHI Oscar-
winner plays a foul-mouthed, viscious gangster in a movie
that's been drawing strong buzz since festival screenings
last fall. What it's doing on the summer schedule is anyone's
guess. (June)
THE FAST AND FURIOUS: Hot cars, tough guys, and big, big
stunts -- grafted to a story about rival street racers.
Rev engines, keep brain in neutral. (June)
PLANET OF THE APES: It's directed by Tim Burton (BATMAN,
BETTLEJUICE), whose weird personal visions have this
strange-knack for becoming blockbusters. It's the sequel to
the long-running movie series of the 1960's and '70's.
The apes -- huge, hairy armies led by Tim Roth, Helena Bonham
Carter and Michael Clarke Duncan -- are more realistic this time out. Mark Wahlberg is the off-course astronaut and camp value
comes with original star Charlton Heston back briefly as an
old ape. (July)
CATS AND DOGS: Kung-fu cats take on techno-dweeb dogs in a
battle for global supremacy that happens right under the noses
of the humans who think they're running things.
I'm laughing already! (July)
AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS: Catherine Zeta-Jones is a prickly
movie star with a train-wreck personal life, kind of like Julia
Roberts. And what's this? Roberts herself plays the star's
mousy assistant, with a thing for the star's husband. Gee, I
wonder how that story will turn out? Hubby is played by
John Cusack. (July)
AMERICAN OUTLAWS: This retelling of the Jesse James legend
will draw western fans who want to see how hot young Irish
actor Colin Farrell (Tigerland) fills their hero's boots and the
confused multiplexers who mistakenly think they bought tickets
for America's Sweethearts or American Pie 2.
AMERICAN PIE 2: The original movie's friends rent a beach
house. Watch on the chance that Eugene Levy will deliver
another eyebrow-wiggling lecture on sex. (August)
OSMOSIS JONES: Bill Murray gets sick and Chris Rock voices
an animated antibody that fights back.
Could be one long booger joke. (August)